Wyoming station trims jobs due to state funding cutback

Wyoming PBS has laid off two staffers after Gov. Matt Mead ordered cuts last month of 8 percent across all state agencies.

The Riverton-based university licensee receives 60 percent of its approximately $3.4 million annual budget from the state, said GM Terry Dugas in an interview. That support will be reduced by some $200,000 starting July 1 as the result of the governor’s cuts as well as a previous 2 percent reduction from the legislature.

“While we looked at making cuts in operations, there simply wasn’t $200,000 there to trim,” he said.

The layoffs occurred in engineering and communications/promotions. Also, a job opening for assistant general manager will not be filled, Dugas said.

After the cuts, the station employs 22 full-time staffers and one part-timer.

Dugas isn’t anticipating cutbacks in locally produced programs, as most of those production funds come from membership or grants.

The governor called for the cuts due to projections of revenue shortfalls of up to $130 million for the current fiscal year, which runs through June 30.

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